“So using only a sling and a stone, David proved to be stronger than the Philistine. David struck down and killed the Philistine, even though David didn’t have a sword in his hand.” (1 Samuel 17:50 NOG).

        The Philistine had defied David and the God of David. “…’Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.’” (Verses 43-44 MEV).
           
        David didn’t shrink back. He said to the Philistine, “‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have reviled. This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand…’” (verses 45-46). David knew he had a covenant with God and the Philistine did not. David said, “…For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (Verse 26). David had seen God work before when David killed the lion and the bear. “…”’The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.’..” (Verse 37).
           
       You know the account. David put a stone in his slingshot and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The Philistine fell on his face to the ground and David took the Philistine’s sword and cut off his head. “…When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.” (Verse 51).
           
        The God we serve doesn’t rely on natural means to bring victory and deliverance. He is a supernatural God. One meaning of supernatural is something that departs from the usual, or what is normal, especially so as to appear to transcend nature’s laws. Remember the widow of Zarephath? Even though she was gathering sticks for her last meal when she encountered Elijah, he asked her for some water and bread. Contrary to logic, she made a cake for Elijah first, as he requested, and then for herself and her son. True to the word of the Lord, “the barrel of meal did not run out, nor did the jar of oil empty, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:16 MEV).
           
        Or another widow, the wife of one of the prophets. Her husband had died and a creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves to repay a debt. Elisha, the servant of God, asked her what she had in her house. She told him she had nothing except a jar of oil. Elisha told her and her sons to gather as many bottles as they could. “Then go in, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour the oil into all these vessels. When each is full, set it aside.” (2 Kings 4:4 MEV). The oil kept flowing until they ran out of bottles. Elisha told her to sell the oil to repay the debt. I believe that oil would have kept flowing as long as they brought containers for it to fill.
           
        There are so many examples I could give but I’ll just mention two more. In 1 Chronicles 14 (MEV), the Philistines had come against David again. David asked God what to do. God answered and said, “’Do not go up after them, but turn around behind them and come to them in the front of the balsam trees. Whenever you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, you will advance the battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” (Verses 14-15). David did as God commanded, “…and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.” (Verse 16).
           
        David could have told God he didn’t believe Him or that it was a crazy battle plan. But David listened and obeyed and that brought a supernatural victory.

            In the New Testament, Paul and Silas were in jail, fastened in the inner prison with their feet in the stocks. As they prayed and sang hymns to God, “…there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were loosened.” (Acts 16:26 MEV). As Paul and Silas praised God, in spite of the predicament they found themselves in, God gave them a supernatural victory.
           
​         I’m sure most of you reading this blog know these accounts from God’s Word. But I’ve put them down to remind us when we face difficult circumstances, not to look at the natural, what our five senses perceive, but to expect God to show up with His supernatural. Our God is an awesome God.

 
            What do you do when you’re faced with a problem? Do you hide your head in the sand and pretend it isn’t there? Do you run out and tell everyone and ask for their advice? Do you become depressed and discouraged? Today, I’d like to look at how a king in the Old Testament, named Jehoshaphat, responded to a major threat. Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah, who, at age thirty-five, succeeded his father Asa, the first good king of Judah.


            The account is found in 2 Chronicles chapter twenty. Jehoshaphat was told that a vast army of Moabites, Ammonites and some Meunites was coming against him. I’d say that’s a pretty big problem. The Scripture says that, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” (2 Chronicles 20: 3-4 NIV). Jehoshaphat was wise. He didn’t consult his neighbours, or his friends, or his relatives. He and the children of Israel consulted the Lord.


               Then he stood up and prayed and rehearsed what God had done for Israel in the past. We are emboldened in the Lord when we remember how He has delivered us in previous times. He told God what he was facing. God already knows our struggles, but it can help us clarify things in our minds when we lay them out before Him.

                In verse twelve, he humbled himself. “…For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Sometimes it’s challenging for us to admit we don’t have the answer. But the truth is, we often don’t. That’s why God’s Word tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).


                  Verse thirteen says all the men of Judah with their wives, children, and little ones stood before the Lord. They waited. Sometimes this is the hardest part – to wait. We want to run ahead. We want the problem solved. We want it out of our way. But Proverbs 3:7 GNT says, “Be patient and wait for the Lord to act…” Jehoshaphat obeyed the Scriptures and his obedience was rewarded. The Spirit of the Lord came upon a man named Jahaziel and through him gave the Israelites a battle plan. God told them where the enemy would be. Then He said, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” (verse 17).


                 Then they did something I know we often find thorny. They praised the Lord BEFORE the problem was solved. “After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army…” (verse 21). Verse twenty-two goes on to say, “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated…” No one was spared. “When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.” (Verse 24).


                  Remember Paul and Silas in Philippi, chained in prison with their feet fastened to the stocks? At midnight they prayed and sang hymns to God. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:26 NIV). Praise brings VICTORY!


              Just two more things about Jehoshaphat before I finish. Firstly, God gave Jehoshaphat and his army a GREAT victory. They spoiled their enemies.”  So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.” (Verse 25). 


                 And secondly, the kingdoms around Jehoshaphat were affected by the victory. “The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.  And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.” (Verses 29-30). Your neighbours, friends, and relatives will take note when they see how God fights for you.


                   What to do when problems arise? Follow the example of King Jehoshaphat.

1. Fast and pray
2. Remind yourself of the victories God has given you in the past
3. Humble yourself before the Lord. Admit you don’t have all the answers
4. Wait until you receive an answer from the Lord
5. Praise the Lord, even before the remedy arrives
6. Expect a great victory
7. Know those around you will take note of what the Lord has done

                 In closing, this is my prayer. “Dear Lord Jesus, the next time Satan throws obstacles and enemies in our way, help us to remember Jehoshaphat, Paul, and Silas and that You are ALWAYS faithful. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

            “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”  (Galatians 3:10-11 NLT).

            In Deuteronomy 27:26, it says, “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” The Book of the Law refers to the covenant laws God made with the children of Israel during the time of Moses.
           
            The law demands perfection, which is impossible because we are all sinners. “For there is no distinction to be made anywhere: everyone has sinned, everyone falls short of the beauty of God’s plan.” (Romans 3:23 Phillips). That puts everyone of us under a curse. That’s the bad news.
           
             The wonderful news is that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” (Galatians 3:13 NIV). As believers in Jesus, we are no longer under the curse. We live under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2 Berean Study Bible).
           
        Because Jesus became the curse for us and took the punishment we deserved, He exchanged His righteousness for our sin. “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 EHV). Think about that. When God looks at you as His born-again child, He doesn’t see your sin. He sees the righteousness of His Son, Jesus.

​       You’ll sometimes hear people say, “I’m just an old sinner, saved by grace.” It is true – you WERE a sinner, but when you made Jesus the Saviour and Lord of your life, you became the righteousness of God in Him. Instead of living in sin-consciousness, we need to live in who we’ve been made in Jesus.

            As those who have been delivered from the curse of the law, oppression is far from us. “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.” (Isaiah 54:14 ESV).
           
           If we abide in the secret place of El-Shaddai, “He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you…” (Psalm 91:3-4 TPT).
           
           The next time we’re tempted to fear or to doubt, we need to remember who we are – a child of the Most High God, delivered from the curse of the law, and made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. God’s massive arms are wrapped around us.

            What do you do when you find yourself walking on untrodden ground, in a place you’ve never been before? Joshua in the Old Testament found himself in that situation.  Joshua 1:1-3 MSG says, “After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses.”
           
           In the above translation, God told Joshua to get going. Don’t hang around on this side of the Jordan. It didn’t matter to God there were enemies in the land because He was with them. Their job was to walk and take the land.
           
           Recently, God gave me a task I find daunting. How can I do it? It seems too big. I’m not smart enough. I don’t have all the information I need. Others will criticize. Then I was reminded of Joshua chapter one where God told the children of Israel He was giving them “every square inch of the land you set your foot on.” In order to possess the land, though, they had to move their feet. In order for me to do the task, I have to take that first step and walk.
               
             In Joshua 6: 1-27, the Israelites had to do more walking. Joshua 6:2-5 NIV says, “Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.’”
           
            I’m sure the Israelites felt foolish, walking around the walls of the city once each day for six days and then seven times on day seven, not saying anything until Joshua told them to shout the battle cry. But they did it. “So the people shouted, and they blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpet sound, they shouted a loud battle cry, and the wall fell down…” Joshua 6:20. Obedience brought victory.
           
            When the Israelites went in to take the Promised Land, they had to walk in by faith. Faith in what? Faith in the Word of God. Joshua 1:3 MEV says, “I have given you every place that the sole of your foot shall tread…” “I have given…” It was a done deal. All they had to do was obey and walk.
             
              The same is true for us. The Word of God is the foundation for each step we take. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 BSB. And when we obey His Word and trust in His promises, He guarantees our success. “This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night…For then you will make your way successful…Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 MEV.
           
              What could be better than that? I speak to myself and I speak to you, the reader. Pick up your feet and walk. Go in and possess the land.

       In Judges chapter six in the Old Testament, the Israelites had done evil in the sight of the Lord by worshipping other gods. The Lord gave them into the hands of the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east. Whenever the Israelites would plant crops, the Midianites would ruin them and take the livestock. The account says the Midianites and Amalekites covered the land like a swarm of locusts, too numerous to count. The Israelites hid from their oppressors in caves, mountains and strongholds. Not a great situation.
           
        The Israelites cried out to the Lord and He sent them a very unlikely deliverer. We find him threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valour.” (Judges 6:12 MEV). Mighty man of valour? It sure didn’t look like it. In verse fourteen, the Lord said to Gideon, “’Go in this strength of yours. Save Israel from the control of Midian. Have I not sent you?’”

         Gideon made excuses and said his clan was the weakest and he the youngest in his family – how could he save anyone? God answered him in verse sixteen, “‘…But I will be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one man.’” (Italics mine).
           
       You probably know the rest of the story. Gideon defeated the horde of Midianites with only three hundred men, so the Israelites wouldn’t be able to boast and say they did it in their own strength.
           
       The part that interests me the most is the angel of the Lord calling Gideon a mighty man of valour when he was hiding in a winepress. The NLT translates ‘mighty man of valour’ as ‘mighty hero’. In essence, the angel was saying, “don’t let this situation scare you, Gideon. You’re stronger than you think.” And why was he stronger? Because he had God on His side. It wasn’t about Gideon’s strength. It was about God’s strength in Gideon.
           
      The same is true for you and me. No matter what our situation, whether it's a bad report from a doctor, a financial problem, or rocky relationships, God is making a way where there is no way. The Scripture says if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Proverbs 28:1 MEV says that “…the righteous are as bold as a lion.” We are the head and not the tail, above and not below (Deuteronomy 28:13), more than a conqueror, (Romans 8:37), surrounded with God’s favour, (Psalm 52:12) and able to do all things through Christ Who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).
           
        In short, God’s Word tells us we are victors, not victims. “Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ and through us reveals the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 MEV. We are the overcomers, not the overcome. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11. With the power of God, we can scale a wall. (Psalm 18:29). With God on our side, we are stronger than we think!

            I’d like to begin today by looking at Genesis 17:1-5, NKJV.

       “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”  Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.  No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.”
         
             Note first of all that God appeared to Abraham as El-Shaddai, God Almighty. Shaddai means the breasty one, the nurse, the full supply. In other words, the God of more than enough.
           
           Secondly, the man and woman God made the covenant with couldn’t fulfill their part of the promise. Abraham was one hundred years old. Sarah ninety and had been barren all her life. That’s the contradiction to the promise God  made to them. They couldn’t do it but God could.
           
           Thirdly, God said He had made, not would make, Abraham the father of many nations. It was a fait accompli.
           
           Next, I would like to look at what Paul wrote in Romans 4:16-20 NKJV.

         “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai— ‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.  I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
 
         “At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!  What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.

         “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all  (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;  who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”  And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God…”

         The key is found in verse seventeen – the” God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did…” Abraham didn’t look at the contradiction. He didn’t consider his own body or Sarah’s dead womb or age. He looked at the covenant and did not waver at the promise.

         I think as believers we often waver at the promise and concentrate on the contradiction. For example, if I am facing a financial need, do I look at my negative bank account or at God’s promise to provide for all my need according to His riches, which are limitless? (Philippian 4:19). If I am sick, do I look at my symptoms (the contradiction) or at the Word of God in Isaiah 53:5 NKJV, (the covenant): “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” In the New Testament, Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:24 TPT, “He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we would be dead to sin and live for righteousness. Our instant healing flowed from his wounding.”

​           As born-again Christians, we must not yield to the contradiction but stand firmly on the promise. We must be determined to stay on the God side of everything.

            Where do you live – in the land of barely enough, just enough, or more than enough?
           
           For 430 years, the Israelites lived in the land of barely enough. “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field…” (Exodus 1:8-14 NKJV).
           
           You know the story. When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to tell him that the God of the Israelites had told them to hold a feast to Him in the wilderness, Pharaoh asked who this God was that he should obey Him. Then he decreed that the Israelites would have to gather their own straw to make bricks and still fulfill their daily quota. In the land of Egypt, the children of Israel barely had enough to get by. When Moses told them God would deliver them, “…they did not listen to Moses on account of their anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:9, MEV).
           
            After plagues and the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh let the Israelites go and God led them out with a strong hand. However, when it came time to go in and possess the Promised Land, they feared the giants living there, disobeyed God, and failed to go in.  For forty years, they wandered in the desert, until the unbelieving generation passed away. But God was gracious to them. “For all these 40 years your clothes haven't grown old, and your feet haven't blistered or swollen." (Deuteronomy 8:4 TLB). The Israelites were no longer in bondage in the land of barely enough. They had entered the land of just enough.
           
           But all along, God’s plan had been for them to live in the land of more than enough. “The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. (Deuteronomy 6:10-11 NLT). God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey – the land of more than enough.
           
            So where do you live today? Are you still living in the land of barely enough or just enough? If so, God wants to lead you into the land of more than enough. The God we serve owns every animal of the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), the treasures hidden in darkness (Isaiah 45:3), and has promised to supply all our need, not according to the world’s faltering economy, but according to His limitless riches.
   
           Everything in God’s kingdom is based on the law of sowing and reaping. “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion…” (2 Corinthians 9:10, Berean Study Bible). So sow your seed today and trust God to bring in the harvest. Stand on His promises. “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.”  (Ecclesiastes 11:1 NKJV).

            And remember, it is through faith and patience we inherit the promises. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:11-12 NKJV). Go ahead – possess God’s Promised Land of more than enough. He wants you to have it.

            The Scripture says that, “The thief’s (Satan’s) purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10 TLB). What has the devil stolen from you? Is it your health, a relationship, your finances, something physical? God is in the restoration business. He desires for you to reclaim what is yours. Today, let’s look at how one man in the Bible got back what was stolen from him.
           
              David, future king of Israel, and his men had been out fighting their enemies. When they returned to Ziklag, their home base, they found everything had been taken – their wives, children, and everyone else. In addition, the Amalekites had burned everything to the ground. 1 Samuel 30:4 says David and his men “wept until they could weep no more.” But then David’s men turned against him and threatened to stone him. What did David do? 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV) says, “And David was greatly distressed…but (he) encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
           
             David encouraged himself in the Lord. When you are at a crossroads, how do you do this? You do it with the Word of God. You remind yourself what God has said about you, the dominion He has given you as a believer, and the promises in His Word which cover every situation you can ever face. Secondly, you remember the victories He’s given you in the past – the times He’s healed, restored relationships, provided for financial needs.
           
          The next thing David did was to pursue. David asked the Lord if he should pursue the enemy. “And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them...” (1 Samuel 30: 8 NKJV). David gathered up his men, pursued his enemy and attacked him until he was defeated. How do we pursue as believers today? We determine we will not settle for the thievery, we take up arms, and we go after what has been stolen.
           
            God has provided us with the weapons we need – His Word, the words of our mouth, and the knowledge Jesus won the victory over the powers of darkness when He rose from the dead.
           
              The third thing David did was to overtake. After God told David to pursue, he said to him, “You shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all” (verse 8, NKJV). God guaranteed David’s success. But it didn’t come easily. The Scripture says “David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day” (1 Samuel 30:17, NKJV). How do we overtake? We rebuke the devil in the Name of Jesus. We bind every spirit that comes against us. We keep speaking the Word of God. And we use the spiritual forces of faith and patience by which we inherit the promises.
           
​               And the best part? Not only did David recover all but he took the spoils from the Amalekites as well. That’s what happened to Job. He regained double for everything Satan had taken from him. Don’t just go for what you’ve lost. Anticipate more. In Jesus, you are more than a conqueror. The Scripture says if we catch a thief, he must restore seven times what he stole. (Proverbs 6:31).  So take back what has been stolen from you. Bankrupt the devil.

            As a born-again believer, you have divine favour with God. That’s right. His Word says so. “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12 NKJV). Favour is mentioned over seventy times in the Bible. The favour of God guarantees His presence and power to accomplish His purposes for you. His favour lasts a lifetime. “For His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for life…” (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). For every season of our lives, God provides His favour. That especially comforts me in the golden years of my life.
           
             You can grow in the favour of God. “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” (1 Samuel 2:26 ESV). “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52 NKJV).
           
                 I would like to look at five aspects of God’s favour.

1. Even when you seem the least likely to receive it, God’s favour produces recognition. “And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.” (1 Samuel 16:22 KJV). The youngest son of Jesse, who his father didn’t even think about when Samuel came to anoint a king, a humble shepherd boy, found favour is the eyes of the king of Israel.
   
2. Petitions are granted through divine favour, even by ungodly civil authorities. “If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them…” (Esther 5:8 NIV). We know from Scripture that King Xerxes granted Esther’s request.
3. Among our enemies, favour produces honour. “(For God caused the Egyptians to be very favorable to the people of Israel, and Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt and was revered by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)” (Exodus 11:3 TLB).
4. Favour brings the restoration of what the enemy has purloined from us. “And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed.” (Exodus 3:21 NLT). Later on in Exodus, it says, “The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!” (Exodus 12:36 NLT). The NKJV says that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians.
5. Battles are won you didn’t fight because God fought them for you.” For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.” (Psalm 44:3 NKJV).

       So, dear believer in Jesus, walk in the light of God’s favour today. It’s all around you and protects you like a shield. God says so.

        In Christ Jesus, ​God has done so much for us as born-again believers. In this post, I want to list just a very small portion of what we have in Him as His blood-bought children.

      We've been made His righteousness. “For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT).

          Jesus has given us His Name, the Name above every name. “And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues. They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.” (Mark 16:17 TPT).

         In addition to His Name, Jesus has given us His authority. “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 MSG).

       We have His armour. “Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace. In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the evil one! Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God. Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times.” (Ephesians 6:14-18 TPT).

         His supernatural weapons belong to us. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV).

        We can come boldly to His throne of grace. “By the blood of Jesus, He has given you the privilege to come boldly to His throne of grace and to find help in your time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 World English Bible).

          No earthly force or demonic power can separate us from His love. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

          Through an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, we are to reign in life – not just when we get to Heaven. “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17 Berean Study Bible). 

            In addition to the above, He has given us His protection, exchanged our poverty for His riches, we’ve been adopted into His family as sons and daughters and made ambassadors of His kingdom. We are more than conquerors and have been made “…kings and priests to his God and Father, to him is the glory and the power to the ages of the ages! Amen.” (Revelation 1:6 Young's Literal Translation).

             My heart is bursting with joy as I look over these Scriptures and I trust that yours is also. We can speak with the writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 13:6 NIV, “So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"